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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23783356">Naruto's Ultimate Sacrifice</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josiahyb825/pseuds/Josiahyb825'>Josiahyb825</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:22:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,381</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23783356</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josiahyb825/pseuds/Josiahyb825</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In a moment of desperation, Naruto makes a decision he know will have a fatal Outcome. He just has to have faith that his sacrifice will not be in vain.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Naruto's Ultimate Sacrifice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A Moment Of Desperation</p><p>Naruto Uzumaki couldn't believe what had been happening the last few weeks. Not only did he lose his grand-father figure, The Third Hokage. He had learned that his Teammate who he thought of like a brother, although he pissed him off sometimes,  had defected from Konoha. And why do you ask? All so he could gain power from the very same Psycho who cursed him, and who Naruto had been fighting not two weeks ago. Apparently the Snake-Bastard promised the Uchiha that he would give him the power he needed to kill his Brother. </p><p>Their entire fight, Naruto was trying to get his raven haired teammate to see reason. That abandoning the village for the sole purpose of gaining power was insane. Especially when you take into account that the person you are trying to gain power from is only trying to use you for his own purposes. Naruto tried to point this out to his friend, telling him that Orochimaru wanted to steal his body so he could possess the Sharingan. But his attempts fell on deaf ears. To make matters worse,the blonde had promised his other teammate, Sakura that he would bring the boy back without fail. His plans for that promise did not seem to be working out in his favor. Naruto was not willing to kill his friend. The same could not be said for the Uchiha, who had been quite literally trying to kill the blond ever since he showed up in this damn valley. It's like Kakashi told them from the beginning. "If they weren't willing to come at him with the intent to kill, then they wouldn't be able to win." Unfortunately Naruto could not heed those words in these moments. When all was said and done, he did not want to end the life of his brother figure. He had promised, and he was not planning on going back on it.</p><p>At this point both Naruto and Sasuke were almost at their limits. Naruto having exhausted himself through the use of the Kyuubi's Chakra, and Saskue having nearly used up all the energy that the curse mark gave him. The outcome of this battle would be decided with one final attack. The blond looked across the valley to see his opponent charging up one last chidori, a look of pure rage and murderous intent adorned the Uchiha's face. This is the blond realized. What he was about to do was insane, he knew. He could just hear his comrades and Sensies scolding him for being so reckless. But he couldn't think of anything else that might reach the Uchiha. With grim satisfaction he realized that if he succeeded, at least everyone else he loved would get what they wanted. Another plus side for the villagers would be that they finally got rid of the Demon that they hated so much. His resolve was stone, nothing could change his mind, not even the passing thought that there may even be some people who would mourn him. He highly doubted it. The only person to ever show any love towards him was already dead.</p><p>The Uzumaki noticed that Sasuke's chidori was fully powered up. He looked to his hand to see that he had subconsciously created a rasengan in his right hand. The color and intensity being altered by the fox's Chakra. He launched towards his teammate and saw as the boy launched towards him as well. "Sasuke!!!" He called out hurling towards the raven</p><p>"Naruto!!" The Uchiha responded as he was quickly approaching the blond mid air. He aimed his chidori towards Naruto's Heart. His full intent to end the boy's life right this instant. Naruto's rasengan was aimed for his shoulder. The uchiha smirked at the fact that Naruto was not strong willed enough to come at him with all he had. But the idiot's downfall meant his victory, so he wasn't complaining. This was about to be all over. He looked into the Blonde's eyes to see sadness and regret. That surprised him what did Naruto had to be sad for. His thoughts were cut short when he saw the blond deactivate his own jutsu. Before Sasuke could respond, Naruto grabbed the arm that had the chidori and had thrust it through his own heart. That raven didn't even have to move, and his goal was accomplished.</p><p>His eyes went wide, as the blood splattered across his face. The blonde gave him one last sad smile, before collapsing. His body hung off the Uchiha's arm for a moment before Sasuke retracted it. His arm was now covered in the blond's blood, and looking down, Sasuke noticed that it didn’t quite reach his heart. It was still a fatal wound however, and Sasuke for the life of him, could not understand why the blond had sacrificed himself like that. Wasn't he always going on and on about how until he became Hokage, he didn't care what happened, he was not going to die? To throw away his life and his dreams just like that didn't make sense to the Uchiha. </p><p>Immediately it was like a veil had been lifted from the raven's eyes, and everything that Naruto had been saying suddenly clicked in his head. What the hell had he been thinking? How could he let his rage towards his brother blind him so easily? Had he truly been so angry that he was willing to kill his best friend just to gain power. He thought back to the last few months. All his memories of himself and the blond flashing through his mind. Yeah they were rivals, some might even say sworn enemies. But anybody who truly paid attention would know that they cared about each other, and would give their lives to protect the other. Sasuke couldn't hold it in anymore, the knowledge of what he had just done causing him to double over and release the contents of his stomach.</p><p>Once he could stand, he rushed over to the blond. He wanted to see if the blond was truly dead. His Sharingan hadn't evolved into the mangekyo, so he had hoped that he was still alive. He reached down to Naruto's neck and placed two fingers under his chin. There was a pulse, a small one, but it was there. Which meant he could still save his friend. He was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard a noise from behind him.</p><p>Elsewhere in The Forest</p><p>Kakashi was racing through the trees, praying that he would make it in time. When he had heard that Sasuke left the village, he was alarmed. But hearing that Naruto went after him terrified him. The last time his two charges got into a fight, they nearly killed each other. How could he have been so blind? He should never have doubted his instincts to lock the boy up, once he became unstable. He should have trusted his gut. Maybe he could have stopped the situation from getting so out of hand. He was a fool thinking the problem would just go away eventually. He summoned his ninja hound Pakun. He had the dog smell one of Naruto's jackets so that he could catch the boy's scent. Currently they had a scent locked on, but the rain water was making it difficult to track. Luckily Kakashi saw what he believed to be his destination. The famous Valley Of The End could be seen in the distance. Kakashi no longer needed Naruto's scent. He was sure that was where his two genin were. A cold feeling washed over Kakashi, and the man was suddenly filled with dread. He instantly sped up, but the dark feeling in his heart telling him that something was very wrong only became stronger as he approached his destination.</p><p>Kakashi jumped down to the water where he could see the back of Sasuke. The boy appeared to be kneeling next to something. Kakashi's momentary relief was disrupted when he noticed the orange clothing the figure in the water was wearing. The cold feeling returned 10 fold. "Sasuke?" </p><p>The boy in question turned around at the noise, a look of horror and pain on his face. "I'm sorry Kakashi Sensei." He moved away from the figure. </p><p>Kakashi's heart sank at the sight of his Sensei's son's bloodied body laying in the river. The blood pouring out of a large fist sized wound in the blond's chest. Kakashi ran over to the boy feeling for a pulse, only to find a very faint couple beats of his heart. Why wasn't Kyuubi's chakra healing the wound? Was this the limit to the blond's healing ability? He had to act fast or the blond truly would be lost to them forever. He couldn't let that happen. He gave a glance toward Sasuke, signalling him to follow as they both jumped back into the woods and headed for Konoha. </p><p>Sasuke was confused by the lack of a verbal response from his teacher, but decided it would be best to follow him without question. Naruto's life hung in the balance. They didn't have the time to discuss the events that had transpired.</p><p>The journey back was a short, albeit uncomfortable trek back to Konoha. Sasuke could tell his teacher had questions, but was focused solely on getting the blond the medical attention he needed.<br/>
Sasuke also realized that none of his wounds were too severe. The blond really wasn't trying to hurt him at all. This revelation only made the Uchiha feel worse about. He wasn't even sure he could answer any questions if he were asked. Thinking about the answers just made him feel sick. He couldn't believe how he had been acting the last few weeks. The only thing driving him had been anger and hatred.</p><p>A few minutes later they both saw the Gates of Konoha come into view. They gave each other one last look before they finally entered the village gates and immediately started making their way to the Hospital.</p><p>Hokage Tower</p><p>Tsunade was currently filling some paperwork for all the Genin, excluding Naruto who had already been brought back from the Sasuke retrieval mission and were being treated at the hospital at this very moment. The fact that the blond had yet to return was making her anxious. She didn't know much about Sasuke only having just become the Hokage. But she had heard from the council and various Shinibi that the boy was incredibly strong. Add on the fact that he now had Orochimaru's curse mark. That spelled trouble, and only made her anxiety worsen. Like her thoughts had been read,  her door slammed open revealing her assistant Shizune. The woman had a terrible look on her face. Tsunade knew instantly that she didn't want to know the answer.</p><p>"Tsunade!!" Shizune looked to her teacher with desperation. "It's Naruto. He has been brought back by Kakashi and Sasuke. The mission was a success."</p><p>Tsunade couldn't understand.This was good news. So why did her assistant look so worried then? "Then what's wrong? Why do you look so worried?"</p><p>"Because Naruto is in critical condition. He has a lethal wound through his chest, right next to his heart. He has lost a lot of blood, and they fear he might not make it. You need to come down to the hospital right now," Shizune explained, her voice and face becoming more frantic as time went by.</p><p>Fear struck Tsunade's Heart and she instantly forgot about her paperwork. Hopping over the desk,she grabbed her assistant and the both ran as fast as they could to the hospital.</p><p>Hospital</p><p>Shikamaru was depressed. Not a lot could ever get to the boy but his teammates safety was always his number one priority. He himself had only endured minor injuries. He broke his finger, that was it. But his team members were a whole other story. His best friend Choji had ingested too many food pills, and was now fighting for his life. Neji Hyuga had exhausted himself and was also critically wounded. Lee who shouldn't have even been there was sustaining minor injuries, so that was okay. Kiba was wounded, but pretty much okay for the most part. And no one had heard or seen Naruto. Nara was sitting in a chair in the waiting room, and he couldn't get the thought that he failed as team leader out of his mind.</p><p>It was his first mission as a squad leader and he almost got them all killed. How was he even supposed to look people in their eye after such a spectacular failure? He was surprised Ino wasn't pissed at him. He was fully expecting her to lash out at him for being so reckless when she arrived at the hospital. But he was surprised when she ran up to him and instead gave him a hug.</p><p>"How's Choji?" the girl asked, still embracing her friend.</p><p>Shikimaru wasn't sure how to respond to the hug, so he just let his arms hang by his side as a downtrodden look crossed over his face.</p><p>Ino pulled out of the hug, and looked up at her teammate. "Don't worry Shikimaru." She gave him a sad smile. "For now you are fine, and we just have to stand by Choji's side until he recovers."</p><p>Shikimaru looked over at the blond who was trying to comfort him. "You're right. Thank you Ino." He was starting to feel better. Maybe they could pull through and everything would go back to normal.</p><p>The blond was about to respond when the doors to the entry were slammed open, and in came Sasuke and Kakashi. "Sasuke!" The girl called out happily. She turned back towards Shikamaru. "See Shikimaru you didn't fail." She was about to say more,when she noticed the look on her teammates face. It was even worse than before. "What's wrong?" She looked to where the boy's gaze was focused. And the sight she saw horrified her. Kakashi was holding on to a practically lifeless Naruto whose wound wouldn't stop bleeding. Her fellow blond wasn't moving at all, and she was pretty sure he was already dead. She was terrified that that might be true. Even though they didn't really know each other, she still considered Naruto to be her friend. Especially after she saw his skills in the chunin exam. "What happened?"</p><p>As a response to her question, Sasuke turned his head down in shame. </p><p>"Hurry. We need to have the Hokage see Naruto right away.!!" Kakashi demanded the woman at the front desk. "I am afraid he doesn't have much time left. In fact, he may already be dead. But I don't care. He needs medical attention." Kakshi was frantic. instantly a crowd of nurses came and took Naruto away on a stretcher.</p><p>Shizune left in a hurry to get Tsunade. </p><p>Kakashi, Sasuke, Shikimaru, and Ino were trailing behind the gurney as Naruto was pulled into a room and hooked up to a bunch of machines. The EKG started making noise, registering Naruto's minor pulse. It didn't look good, but at least they knew the blond was alive.</p><p>"Is he going to be okay Sensei?" Shikimaru was pissed. Not only was the blond Uzumaki fighting for his life. But he just knew it was Sasuke's fault. The boy's reaction to Ino's questioning had been answered enough. He walked over to the Uchiha, and in a moment that was completely out of character for him, he lost his cool, and socked the raven across the face. "What the hell did you do to him Uchiha!?"</p><p>Sasuke still couldn't say anything. He was already struggling to accept what was happening and Shikimaru just made it worse. The Uchiha had expected questioning,but being punched in the face was a surprise. He didn't have the energy to glare at the Nara Boy. He felt like absolute shit for what he did to the blond, but he still couldn't answer the simple question. He didn't have to answer luckily as Naruto chose that moment to wake up. </p><p>"W--What's going on? What h-h-happened?" His voice sounded so weak. It was completely bizarre hearing the usually loud and obnoxious voice sound so hoarse and broken.</p><p>Kakashi sprang to his side. A sad look crossed his face. "It doesn't matter right Naruto. Save your strength. You're going to need it."</p><p>Naruto gave his teacher a sad smile. "I think we b-both kn-know I am probably n-n-not going to make it Se-sensei." He looked around the room, seeing all the faces looking at him. His eyes landed on Sasuke. "Sasuke. you c-c-ame back." A soft smile spread across his face. "Sa-sa-Sakura will be so hap-happy."</p><p>Sasuke moved to stand next to the bed. "You shouldn't talk like that Dobe," the boy responded teasingly. "You're not gonna die today."</p><p>Naruto didn't look like he believed him, but the boy nodded anyway.</p><p>Just then the door slammed open, revealing Tsunade and Shizune.</p><p>"Naruto!!" Tsunade screamed running toward the child's bedside. She started applying her medical ninjutsu to heal the boy. It was no use running a diagnostic. She could clearly see what was wrong with him. You would have to be blind to miss the hole in his chest. "What happened?"</p><p>"I brought back Sasuke! Mission accomplished Grandma!" Naruto was surprised he was able to get that out so easily. Guess it's true what they say. Dire circumstances can cause random bursts of energy. The blond gave the woman a small albeit happy smile.</p><p>"You really need to conserve your strength right now Naruto." Tsunade reprimanded out of desperation. Her jutsu wasn't doing anything to heal the wound, and she was worried the blond would pass away any moment. She doubted staying silent was going to do much, but it was all she could think of. She turned to Kakashi and Sasuke. "You're going to want to get Sakura in here. I don't think Naruto is going to last much longer." She lowered her head,the tears already stinging the corners of her eyes. She was helpless. All she could do was watch as another person she cared about died before achieving their dream of being Hokage. She knew giving that boy the necklace was a death sentence. But she so desperately wanted to see him do it</p><p>Kakahi's heart broke at that statement. Even Tsunade couldn't heal him. He completely failed as A teacher to Naruto. And he couldn't deliver on his promise to his own sensei. The man glanced at Naruto. "Hold on for me while I get Sakura. Okay Naruto?" The man knew it was a lot to ask, but he hoped the boy would be able to pull it off. Kakashi left to get their pink haired teammate.</p><p>"What do you mean Naruto is not going to last much longer?" Ino was astounded. "Aren't you supposed to be some master healer or something? And there's nothing you could do to save him?"</p><p>Naruto was shocked. He never knew his fellow blond cared so much. "I-I-It's fine I-Ino. Everything is g-g-g-gonna be ok-okay."</p><p>The girl turned on him. "How can you say that Naruto? You're dying. And there is nothing we can do about it." She ran to the boy grabbing his hand. Looking into his eyes,she could see the pain but the acknowledgement of his fate in them. "How can you just accept this so easily. I thought you never gave up." The blonde's own eyes were filled with tears clouding her vision of her fellow Genin laying in the hospital bed.</p><p>"I-I do-don't really ha-h-have a ch-ch-choice this ti-time." He smiled at her, hoping to ease the pain in her mind.</p><p>Sasuke and Shikimaru couldn't believe what they were hearing. Naruto was gonna die, and that was it. There was nothing else they could do. No medicine or healing would save the boy at all? Shikimaru tuned and glared at the Uchiha. Nara never really liked the raven, but he was sure now that he absolutely hated him. </p><p>Sasuke felt the glare on his back, but he didn't have the energy to react to it. His teammate was going to die, and it was his fault. All because he was blinded by rage, and a lust for power.</p><p>The door opened again, revealing Kakashi, Sakura, and Iruka. Kakashi had gone and got the Chunin instructor as well. He knew that him and the boy were close, and that the man would want to be there for the boy's last moments.</p><p>Sakura couldn't believe that Naruto succeeded. She was unaware of the blond's condition. All her sensei told her was that the two boys were back, and that she should come with him to the hospital. She immediately ran up to the Uchiha, and threw her arms around him. "Sasuke! Thank God you're back." The smile on her face was probably the biggest one she has ever had.  Her crush was back,and things could go back to normal now.</p><p>Sasuke however didn't return the hug. He just let his head down, refusing to look at anyone. Not wanting to see the pain on any of their faces.</p><p>Sakura was still trying to get him to look at her. She grabbed both sides of his face, pulling his head up. She asked "What's wrong. Why won't you look at us?" Her smile turned into a frown. She turned to look at the others in the room, and noticed that they all looked devastated. She couldn't understand why. Sasuke was back. This was a time for celebration. "What's going on? Why does everyone look so sad?" She continued to look around the room for someone to answer her. </p><p>Kakashi, Ino, and Tsunade stepped away from the hospital bed, and Sakura could see that Naruto was hurt, barely even conscious right now. The EKG was beeping rather slowly which alerted her to how drastic the situation truly was. "Naruto?" She called to the boy, while making her way to the blond.</p><p>"He-hey Sa-Sa-Sakura." He allowed a small grin to to take over his face, despite the immense pain he was in. "I-I told y-you I would b-bring back Sasuke." He slowly raised his hand into a thumbs up, as his smile became a little more pained.</p><p>Sakura couldn't respond for what felt like hours, but was probably only a few seconds. What was she supposed to say? He honoured his promise to her, but now he was the one they were going to lose. How was that fair to him? Tears started to well up in her eyes ever since the situation was made known to her and sobs wracked her body. "what good is that? You both were supposed to be okay when this was over. I didn't want either of you to be hurt."</p><p>"It's ok-okay. I have accepted it." Narito turned to the rest of the group. "I-I want you g-guys to kn-know that thi-this is not Sasuke's fault."</p><p>Everyone in the room was  shocked to hear this from the blond. "What do you mean it wasn't Sasuke's fault, Naruto?" Shikimaru was beyond confused. Who else decided to put a hole through their comrades' chest.</p><p>A look of resolve crossed the blonds features.``I-I m-mean that I wa-was the on-one to pu-pull Sasuke's chi-chidori through my chest. I-I do-don't wan-want him to be blamed." Naruto gave Sasuke a glance that told him to just go with it. Even thought it is true, he omitted the part where Sasuke was already trying to jam it through his heart.</p><p>Kakashi didn't believe it at all. When he had shown up at the valley, Sasuke had told him that he was sorry. Why would he say that if it wasn't his fault? The silver haired Jonin turned to the Uchiha. "Is this true Sasuke?"</p><p>Sasuke felt even more sick to his stomach. Even Though it wasn't technically a lie, he still had tried to kill Naruto. After a few moments he did what the blond had told him and went with the story. "Yes Sensei. It's True." He looked around at all the faces in the room, took in a breath, and spoke once more. "Naruto and I were fighting at The Valley Of The End. We were both atr our limits, and we knew the battle would be decided with one last attack. I used my chidori and Naruto used his Resengan. We launched at each other from opposite sides of the valley, and I was aiming for his shoulder. When we were about to collide, Naruto grabbed my arm and pulled my jutsu through his chest." The Uchiha, having finished his story, turned back to see the blond nodded at him as a subtle confirmation that he did the right thing. That this would turn out better in the long run. Sasuke agreed, even though he felt awful about it. He vowed to never let anger blind him like that again, lest he lose another person he cared about.</p><p>Iruka, who hadn't spoken up since he came into the room, too busy crying at the loss of his younger brother figure, finally decided to speak up. "Why would you sacrifice yourself like that, Naruto?"</p><p>Naruto didn't hesitate for one moment. "I ma-made a Promise. And I-I always Ke-keep my Pr-promises." He smiled at the scarred faced Chunin. The blond turned to Tsunade. "Grandma Tsu-Tsunade?"</p><p>She ran back to his bedside. "I'm here Naruto." The tears in her eyes kept falling and she couldn't control them anymore.</p><p>Naruto lifted up his hand and wiped off some of the tears. "Do-don't cry. It-it's going to be al-alright." He reached behind his neck and unclipped the necklace that she gave him. He grabbed her hands and layed the necklace in her palms, before closing her fist around it. "Even though I-I-I Meant Wh-what I said to y-you. I am sorry that I couldn't he-keep this one promise." He gave her one last sad smile, before reclining into the bed fully. "You guys we-were ri-right."</p><p>They all lifted their heads at this. Right about what?</p><p>"Yo-you alwa-always told me I wou-would nev-never be-become Hokage." The boy was gasping for air now. "Y-you wer-were right." He closed his eyes one final time, and the sound of EKG flatlining filled the room.  </p><p>Despair. That's all anyone could feel right now. Everyone in the room kept hoping amongst hope that the blond would suddenly make a miraculous recovery and flash them all the million watt smile that could rival the sun. But after 20 minutes of nothing, they gave up on that notion. Everyone in the room was silent. No one knew what to say or do. Sasuke felt like he was losing his family all over again. Shikimaru's feeling of failure just came right back. Ino and him were currently embracing trying to comfort the other with hollow words that everything was going to be alright. Neither of them believed it. For Tsunade it was like she was in a haze, as she pulled the blanket over the boy's body and deactivated all the machines. She didn't know the boy for too long. But in that short time they had grown really close. She truly just lost another family member. His statement about never being Hokage hit her hard. He told her he wasn't going to fail under any circumstance. Guess bringing the Uchiha back was an exception. She knew it was unfair, but she became rather resentful of the Uchiha in those final moments.</p><p>Iruka was kneeling next to the bed holding onto the blonds hand, even as he could feel the skin become colder and colder. He didn't want to accept it. How could the blond just throw away his life like that. Was bringing Sasuke back really that Important? The chunin was under the impression that they hated each other. He was proud of his student when he heard that Naruto went after the boy. But a small part of him had felt relieved for Naruto when the news of Uchiha's betrayal reached him. He knew that was a terrible thing to feel, but it was true. Without Sasuke, Naruto would still be alive. The man couldn't stand being in the room anymore, so he left, slamming the door as he did so.</p><p>Sasuke had taken to trying to comfort Sakura, holding her in his arms as she cried into his chest going on and on about how it was unfair. Why couldn't they both just stop fighting all the time,and have just returned unscathed.</p><p>Kakashi wasn't sure what to do. He completely failed as a teacher to Naruto. Just like he had failed as a teammate to Obito. His promise to his sensei, Minato, was also unfulfilled. He couldn't protect Naruto.</p><p>One Week Later</p><p>Word got around the village that Naruto had died, and that his funeral was being planned. It was to be on top of the Hokage tower and then his body would be buried next to his parents. Hinata was devastated by the loss, and would not come out of her room for the first few days. It was only after a lot of prodding from her father and her friend Kiba that she finally integrated herself back into society. For Konohamaru it was much the same. At first he didn't believe what they were telling him, and wouldn't listen until he saw the body himself. They showed it to him begrudgingly and he instantly shut down. The boy's knees gave out and he just ended up crying next to the bed for hours. The rest of the retrieval group had just been released from the hospital and were recovering, when they heard the news. Lee was upset as well, but would always say that "Naruto's flames of youth burned brightly. Now I shall burn even more brightly to make up for the loss." It was the only thing the boy could say that would make him feel better. </p><p>Kiba was shell shocked. Although not as devastated as Hinata and Konohamaru, him and Naruto were still friends. Neji was more upset for his cousin than himself, but the news still struck him pretty hard.  Word of the death was sent to Suna. They knew Gaara and his siblings would want to know what happened, and would possibly come to the funeral. Kaashi was sent to Wave so he could inform Inari, Tazuna, and Tsunami. When they found out, Inari broke down into tears, and an overwhelming sadness washed over Tazuna and Tsunami as they watched the boy cry his eyes out. Tazuna couldn't believe someone so young and full of hope could be gone. But now the bridge truly was a dedication to the blond. They packed up their stuff and headed with Kakashi back to the leaf village.</p><p>Something that had alarmed the Konoha 12 as they were walking around town was they heard whispers of relief come from the civilians and some of the shinobi. Things like,”Thank God the demon is gone, and good riddance” were common amongst the things they were hearing the people of the leaf say. To make matters worse, they weren't even hiding their hatred of the boy anymore. Now that Naruto was gone, they were very vocal about their feelings toward him. The genin couldn't believe what they were hearing. Their friend was dead, and these people had the nerve to be happy about it? What did Naruto ever do to them? They knew that Nobody really liked the blond, but they didn't think they hated him and wanted him dead. Everytime Sasuke heard someone voice their joy about the death of the blond, he wanted to kill them for being so disrespectful to his friend. Kiba wasn't any different. Even Shikimaru, Ino, and Sakura wanted to beat the crap out of them.</p><p>Naruto's Funeral</p><p>There was a small wooden stage set up. It had a black cloth covering it, and a podium was standing in the center with a microphone. Two large photos of Naruto were resting on stands on each side of the stage. starting from 10 feet, several rows of chairs sat facing the stage, with space in between forming a walkway that had been lined out by a red cloth all the way to the stairs down from the roof. Candles lined the walkway on both sides in front of the stage and before the chairs leading to the staircase.</p><p>In the front row on the left side sat the Hokage, and the rookie 12's senseis. Behind them sat Iruka, Jiraiya, Ayame, Teuchi, and Tazuna. Behind them was Inari, and his mother Tsunami,along with a few of the workers from the bridge. In the row behind them sat various civilians who actually felt sad over the loss of the boy. On the right side sat the Konoha 12. Sasuke, Sakura, Lee,Hinata, and Ino sat in the first row. Behind them was Shikimaru, Neji, Kiba, Shino, and Tenten. Behind them was Konohamaru and the Sand Genin Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. Their Sensei Baki sat alone in the row behind them.</p><p>Tsuanade stood up and headed towards the Podium On the stage. Walking up to the mic, she began. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze." At this,the entire crowd was shocked, excluding the leaf's Jonin Senseis. "Yes I am sure this is a surprise to you all. But I tell you the truth, Naruto was the son of our late yondaime Hokage A.K.A Minato Namikaze,The Yellow flash of Konoha. And his mother was Kushina Uzumaki. Who was the last known Uzumaki before she gave birth to Naruto." Tsunade's tears started returning along with the tears of everyone in the crowd, excluding Garra. But looking closely you could see the boy was upset at the loss of his first true friend. "Naruto also had another secret," Tsunade continued. Once again grabbing everyone's attention. "It's actually why this village hated him so much. It's completely unfair and The Yondaime wanted Naruto to be seen as a hero." At this the rest of the genin, excluding Garra, looked up wondering what she could possibly be about to say. "Naruto was in fact the jinchuriki to The 9 Tailed Fox." The Konoha 12 were blown away by this reveal. How could they not know this?</p><p>They felt even worse for how they treated Naruto, and their anger towards the civilians who hated the boy grew. "Unfortunately. The people of this village could not Separate The Fox from Naruto in their hearts, and they grew to hate him. They would spit on him, attack him, and ridicule him. But still Naruto would never give upon his dream of being Hokage. All so he could protect the very same people who despised his existence." Tsunade glance around at all the sad faces of the attendees before she began again. "Many of you were unaware of this because the third Hokage forbade the discussion of it. Anybody who was caught talking about it was to be punished.Unfortunately not that Naruto is gone, many of the villagers and Shinobi have taken to not hiding their joy at this development. Saying that they are glad that he is gone. And As Hogake of this village.I must say I am disgusted with what I have been hearing. The third and the fourth would be appalled by the actions of this village if they were here. Even though the kids were made unaware of the situation, they were told by their parents that he was to be ignored. As such Naruto grew up alone. No friends, and no family to show him any sort of love." She let out a bitter cry. "Yet he still wanted to protect us. All of us. He wanted us to see that he was not the demon,that he was his own person, and he could and would save this village from harm. Even going so far as to sacrifice his own life, just  to prevent the village from losing the last Uchiha." Sasuke'shead turned down at this, not able to look at the stage anymore. "At this time. I would like to invite anyone who has anything to say about the boy up to the podium."</p><p>Kakashi stood up and approached the podium. There were tears in his eye, but he knew Naruto would want him to remain strong. "Naruto was one of the Genin on my team. He was one of the happiest people I've ever met, despite the treatment that he received. He was always smiling and laughing, and he didn't let anything get to him. He's a lot like my old teammate Obito Uchiha in that regard. When Naruto was born I promised my Sensei Minato that I would always protect him. I was the anbu who would watch over the boy as a kid. And when I found out that I was going to be his teacher, I was so happy. I had a chance to make up for all the mistakes I made. But I failed. I got so caught up in training the Uchiha that I neglected Naruto's training. Luckily he met someone who was a better teacher for him. Minato's own Sensei Jiraiya. The sage was a much better Teacher to Naruto than I could ever hope to be. And I greatly appreciate what he did for the boy. Naruto had a will of fire that burned more brightly than even the strongest of the Ninja in our village. And it truly is a shame that his light has been lost to us." Kakshi went back up to his seat and then Shikamaru replaced him at the Podium.</p><p>"In all the years I have known Naruto, I would describe him in one way. Annoyingly happy and troublesome. I could never understand how someone who had no friends or family, and who was doing so poorly in our academy could be so content. I almost envied him for how upbeat he was all the time. That just wasn't me. When it came the chunin exams, I was amazed to see how much potential and skill that he was showing. He won his fight with Neji Hyuuga, who was the rookie of the year prior to ours. And he stopped Garra from losing control and destroying our village. He even brought us our new Hokage. When Sasuke ran away, I just knew the only one who stood a chance in bringing the Uchiha back was Naruto. He was the closest to Sasuke in terms of relationship, and strength. It's both a blessing and a tragedy how far Naruto was willing to go just to bring back Sasuke. I was always jealous of the Uzumaki's confidence and determination. So when I saw that he had succeeded, I was proud of the blond. Then I saw what had become of him, and I suddenly regretted ever asking Naruto to be in my squad. Yeah we would have more than likely lost Sasuke without Naruto, but at least he would be alive today.” The tears that he had held back were starting to fall again. "I am grateful that no one else was lost to us. But I am going to miss the blond ball of sunshine." Shikimaru went back to his seat and was replaced by Iruka.</p><p>"Naruto was one of my students at the academy. And like so many of the villagers, for so long, I couldn't separate Naruto from the fox within him. The Kyuubi had killed my parents, and I resented the blond for it. With the help of the third Hokage I was able to see Naruto as his own person and not the beast. Naruto was the kindest, and most loving person I had ever met. Anytime someone was upset in class, he would try to cheer them up. Even if in their eyes, it made him look like a fool. As long as the people around him were happy, he would be too. I grew to see Naruto as the younger brother I never had. He annoyed me at times, but I still loved him, and tried to show him that I cared. I was so proud of him when I saw him in the chunin exams. Suddenly his dream of being the Hokage didn't seem as far fetched. He had already reached and changed the lives of so many people around him. I am proud to call him my brother. May he rest in peace along with his parents." Iruka sat back down and was replaced with Sasuke.</p><p>"I first met Naruto in the academy. He was always grinning and smiling like an idiot." Sasuke smiled at this, thinking back on his younger days. "He was always boasting about how great he was no matter how many times I showed him up." Sasuke and the rookie 9 let out a small laugh, thinking back on those memories. "I couldn't understand how he could be so confident despite not having any skill. When my family was murdered, I shut people out even more so than before. I was so determined to be the best and gain the power I needed to avenge my clan that I shunned the only person who could possibly understand how I was feeling. And when we placed on cell 7 together, I'd always let my pride get to me. Anytime I saw that Naruto was getting stronger or was starting to match me, I was angry. One example was during the tree climbing training. At first like always, Naruto was showing very little skill, and curse myself, I was happy to see him fail. Then he started making progress, and was catching up to me. It pissed me off. So I tried even harder to show that I was better. I faced Garra in the chunin exams, but lost. Naruto was able to beat him and that annoyed the shit out of me. To make matters worse I ran into my brother shortly after and he told me he was only after Naruto, and did not care at all about me at the time. Thanks to the revelation from the Hokage. I now know why they wanted him. But at the time I had no idea. I was blinded by my rage, and I let it control me. And because of my mistake, I lost my best friend. And the village lost one of it's strongest Ninja in the making. I know nothing I say or do will bring Naruto back. But I want everyone to know that I truly am sorry for how things turned out. I'll never stop trying to make it up to you guys." Sasuke let his hang down once again. And he made his way back to the seat. </p><p>After Sasuke's speech, they had a moment of silence for the blond Uzumaki. One by one they placed a golden colored flower in his casket. An hour later, Naruto was laid in the ground right next to his parent’s graves.</p><p>Epilogue</p><p> </p><p>It took a long time for things to return back to the way they were before. Naruto was replaced in team seven by a member of Anbu root who went by the name of Sai. After a few months the blond's death could still be felt by the village of Konoha, but they were slowly getting over it. Vowing that they would do everything in their power to honor the blond with their actions. Jiraiya had learned that because of Naruto's death, the Akatski's plans were over. They couldn't do anything without all the tailed beast, and the Kyubbi was going to take a few centuries to fully reconstruct itself. Because of this, Itachi Uchiha was free to return to the village. The true knowledge of his actions were revealed, and he was reinstated as a ninja of Konoha. After learning of Danzo's plans from Itachi, the man was hunted down and executed. All of the root members had undergone extreme reprogramming so they could reintegrate into society and return to their loved ones. Things were looking bright for the world.</p><p>The End</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>That's it for this short story guys. The idea just popped into my head last night and I had to get it out. I know the story is sad and maybe a little depressing, but I thought the concept of this version of events was interesting. Let me know what you guys think, and anything that I should work on. </p><p>As regards to my other stories. I have lost any interest I once had in The Flash. So my Flash story will be deleted. I am sorry for anybody who has been looking forward to an update. But the last few years of the show have just been really disappointing. And it is really hard to write for something that you no longer care about. To be honest I have never even been a huge superhero fan in general. It wasn't until flash and Arrow that I really gave the idea a chance. Don't get me wrong, I love fantasy. But superheroes have never been my thing. Even the early seasons I can't watch anymore because I know what happens afterwards and it is just really disappointing to think about. So yeah, to make a long story short. I will not be continuing that Story.</p><p>On the other hand. For my Naruto and Riverdale stories, I have decided instead of trying to get out entire chapters at a time. I will settle for typing out at least 1,000 words a day until I feel the chapter should end. That way I can hopefully be getting out chapters weekly or at least every other week. So hopefully there will no longer be these huge gaps between updates.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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